the Carolina Mudcats rallied from a one run deficit to win their fifth straight contest on Saturday night as they squeaked out a 2-1 win over the Winston-Salem Dash. The Mudcats scored a run in both the sixth and seventh inning to recover from a early home run from the Dash.

An Erik Gonzalez grand slam propelled the Carolina Mudcats to a 9-2 win over the Winston-Salem Dash on Friday. The Mudcats threatened to open the scoring in the bottom of the first after Gonzalez’s one out base hit to right. The Carolina shortstop took big leads off first, noticeably perturbing Dash starter Angel Sanchez (1-1, 4.26).

In today’s Minor Happenings, Tony Lastoria reviews the season that Low-A Lake County first baseman Nellie Rodriguez is having to date and the development process he has gone through with his coaches to bring more consistency to his bat. He also provides an absolute ton of comments from Ross Atkins on players up and down the system such as Giovanny Urshela, Ryan Merritt, Shawn Morimando, Clint Frazier, Eric Haase, Francisco Mejia, and many more.

Well, LeBron James is still undecided. Or maybe he isn't. Who knows? But unlike James, one star in the Cleveland organization was ready to go Thursday night. Francisco Lindor may be having a slightly down season compared to his high standards, yet the shortstop still looks ready for a promotion sooner rather than later. Join Jim Piascik as he breaks down Lindor's night, recaps the rest of the action throughout the system, and takes you Around the Farm.

The Carolina Mudcats gave up 17 hits, but still managed to take a 11-6 win against the Lynchburg Hillcats behind 15 hits of their own. Every pitcher in the game gave up at least tow hits, with the two starters combining to give up 18 hits total. Five different Akron batters had multi-hit games, while Alex Monslave hit a seventh-inning grand slam.

Most of Cleveland seemed to come to a standstill while awaiting LeBron James' announcement on Wednesday, an announcement we are all still waiting to bear witness to. But while there was mostly inaction regarding The Decision 2.0, the minor leagues provided plenty of action, including Erik Gonzalez showing more signs of life following a bit of an extended slump. Join Jim Piascik as he breaks down Gonzalez's season to date and the rest of the action throughout the organization as he takes you Around the Farm.

After their game Tuesday was suspended, the Carolina Mudcats finished strong with a 12-4 win against Lynchburg, including a seven-run eighth inning. Carolina totaled 17 hits before getting ready for the nightcap against the Hillcats. The Mudcats took their originally scheduled game as well, beating the Hillcats 5-4 behind eight total hits.

It was a week of streaks for the Mudcats, completing a season long four-game winning streak to start the week and finishing the week with a three game losing streak. The IBI's Zachary Francis recaps the week that was for the Mudcats and also recently sat down with righty Adam Plutko to talk about his transition to Carolina.

In today’s early week edition of Minor Happenings, the IBI's Tony Lastoria runs down all of the injuries throughout the Indians minor league system and provides updates on the status of the players and when they might be returning to the field. He also takes a look at the recent good pitching from High-A Carolina reliever Rob Nixon, provide tons of comments from the front office on several players at Triple-A Columbus who have recently been called up (Tyler Holt and Roberto Perez) or soon will be (Giovanny Urshela, Bryan Price, etc), and much more.

The Carolina Mudcats rallied with two runs in the eighth, but ended up losing to the Lynchburg Hillcats after going down 4-2 in the first three innings. Shawn Morimando took the loss, moving his record to 8-3 on the season. James Roberts picked up two hits and scored a run in the losing effort.

One bad inning doomed the Carolina Mudcats Sunday as they were routed by the Salem Red Sox 8-2. Salem rallied for six runs in the third to erase an early deficit and cruise to victory in the series rubber match.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. After looking at the pitchers last week, today we focus on the hitters. In this week's The WAR Room, Jim Piascik checks in on where Tyler Naquin and Joey Wendle stand now that it is official both could miss the rest of the season with injuries. Join Jim as he breaks down Naquin and Wendle's season and a lot more as he takes you into The WAR Room.

A late rally from the Carolina Mudcats fell short as the Salem Red Sox escaped Five County Stadium with a 3-2 win on Saturday night. After trailing by two runs for most of the game, the Mudcats began to fight their way back in the final two frames.

The Fourth of July proved to be a less-than-impressive day in the Cleveland organization, but Arthur Kinney still found some performances of note. One of them belonged to Joe Sever, who looks to be getting back on track after some recent struggles. Join Arthur as he recaps all of the Independence Day action and takes you Around the Farm.

Despite blowing an early four-run lead, the Carolina Mudcats rallied to win, 7-6, Friday in ten innings. Joe Sever came through with the game-winning RBI single to right scoring Logan Vick and sending the sellout Independence Day crowd into pandemonium.

In this week’s Minor Happenings, the IBI's Tony Lastoria takes a look at the recent surge in performance at Triple-A for right-handed pitcher Danny Salazar, how his stuff has looked and if he is getting back into the form that impacted the Indians roster late last season. He takes a deep look into the breakout performance at Double-A Akron for outfielder Anthony Gallas, what it means and what has changed for him. He also provides some insight into the turnaround for Low-A Lake County righty Mitch Brown, looks at the biggest change to Triple-A catcher Roberto Perez’s approach and more.

The name of the game is patience. No wait, that was last night's theme. Anyway, Kieran Lovegrove rewarded anyone who has been patient with him Thursday night, tossing five no-hit innings and showing flashes of why he was a highly regarded third round pick in 2012. He was joined by Claudio Bautista, who will also need some patience in the future as he learns to be more selective at the plate. Join Jim Piascik as takes you Around the Farm, breaking down Lovegrove and Bautista's nights in addition to recapping all the action throughout the organization.

he Carolina Mudcats demolished the Lynchburg Hillcats, 10-4, Thursday to complete a three-game series sweep. The Mudcats offense exploded for five runs in the fifth and four in the sixth as Carolina brought out the broom in impressive fashion after falling behind early.

It is really hard to be patient for any stretch of time. Like waiting for Christmas as a child -- or even now for Jim Piascik, the wait for the final Hobbit movie -- is unbearable (same for the waits leading up to the first two, for that matter). But it is absolutely vital to be patient to a fault with prospects, especially ones with the talent of Mitch Brown and Carlos Moncrief. Join Jim as he breaks down Brown's turnaround, the recent resurgence of Moncrief, and much more as he takes you Around the Farm.

The Carolina Mudcats managed just four runs on 12 hits, but still came up with a 4-2 victory against Lynchburg Wednesday. Carolina used a two-run third to take the 3-2 lead before sealing the game with a run in the fourth. The Mudcats added two errors on the day, but the pitching staff allowed just six total hits. Ryan Merritt picked up the win for Carolina.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!